Serving as a sailor in the U.S. Navy, Quartermaster Second Class Charles Francis Bishop received the Medal of Honor for his actions on April 21, 1914 in Vera Cruz, Mexico during the 1914 Veracruz expedition. At the time he was serving with U.S.S. Florida. Bishop was 25 years old.
40 other service members also received the Medal of Honor for actions on the same day. The medal was presented on January 6, 1915 — presented by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels on the deck of the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. He later rose to the rank of Chief Quartermaster.
Bishop was born on August 2, 1888 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. His Medal of Honor is credited to Pennsylvania. Bishop died on February 1, 1954, at the age of 65. He is buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California.
Bishop is one of 56 Medal of Honor recipients from the 1914 Veracruz expedition and one of 380 credited to Pennsylvania.
Official Medal of Honor citation
On board the U.S.S. Florida for extraordinary heroism in the line of his profession during the seizure of Vera Cruz, Mexico, 21 April 1914.
Citation text: U.S. Government, public domain.
Battles and campaigns
Also served in: World War I.
Places
Veteran resources, cemeteries and meeting places in Pennsylvania →
From the archives
Additional information on his action comes from U.S. Navy General Order No. 101, dated June 15, 1914. He was in the signal squad with three other men, Fred J. Schnepel, James A. Walsh, and Charles L. Nordsiek, under Ensign McDonnell. "They were stationed on the roof of the Terminal Hotel from 11:30 am, April 21, till sunset, and returned there at daylight on the 22d. On this roof and near them a marine was killed, an electrician third class was seriously wounded, and one member of the party (Nordsiek) was wounded. Nothwithstanding the constant fire to which they were subjected and their unusually exposed position, they were not diverted from their extremely important duty of keeping unbroken and efficient communication by signals with the U.S.S. Prairie."
Timeline
- August 2, 1888Born in Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
- April 21, 1914Act of valor — Vera Cruz, MexicoAge 25. U.S.S. Florida
- January 6, 1915Medal of Honor presentedPresented by Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels on the deck of the USS Florida at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York.
- February 1, 1954DiedAge 65.
- Resting placeFort Rosecrans National CemeterySan Diego, California
Biography
Charles Francis Bishop (August 2, 1888 – February 1, 1954) was a United States Navy sailor who received the Medal of Honor for actions while assigned to USS Florida during the Veracruz Campaign.
From the Wikipedia article “Charles Francis Bishop”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article →
